Daughter of Heaven
by whitemiracle
Summary: Aya Nakada gets what she has wanted for so long: a fresh start. Even though the weight of the obligation she needs to fulfil is heavy on her shoulders, she truly believes her life can change for the better. She never thought a new friendship and a romance could destroy everything around her but she needs to pay for turning against the Vatican's will. Blue Exorcist (c) Kazue Katō
1. True Cross Academy

_(Author note: All the canon things are based on the anime.)_

* * *

With my backpack on my shoulder, pulling my suitcase with one of my hands, having the map of the Japanese branch of True Cross Academy in the other one, I was walking down the bridge. My red hair got loose in the messy bun I put it, trying to protect myself from the hot summer sunshine. My tongue hang from my mouth and all I desired was some water to touch my dried and burned lips.

"Miss!"

I averted my eyes from the main gate. I didn't even notice I had been staring at it for two minutes already. The guard standing in front of the gate talked to me.

"New student?", he asked.

"Yes", I nodded.

"Can I take your admission confirmation?"

The guard reached out his arm and I let the strap of my suitcase go. I took the backpack off my sunburnt shoulder, unzipped it, dredged in it and pulled out the creased paper. The guard looked at me resentfully, and then he smoothed the paper out and read it. He nodded after half a minute, pushed a button and the gate opened up in front of me. The guard gave my paper back and I stepped through the gate of True Cross Academy.

It was astounding to see the huge facility consisting of hundreds of buildings. Prospective and returning students were talking, sunbathing, laughing and traipsing under the scorching sun. My attention wasn't grabbed by the chattering people of my age, but by the enormous fountain standing in front of me. I could almost feel my eyes shining - I ran to the fountain on full speed with my stuff in my hands. I held onto its edge and pushed my head into it. I enjoyed the cool water soothing the burning on my face. I swallowed big gulps of the cold water. A second later, someone poked me on the shoulder. I straightened and turned around quickly, sprinkling fat drops of water on the person disturbing me with the hanging locks of my hair.

The boy was around as old as I was. He had a long, slim, red bag on his back. His half-length black hair sticked up rampant. He had a silver hair clip holding back his bangs. His ears were pointy like an elf's

"Thirsty?", he asked.

He gave me a snow white smile. I noticed his also pointed canine teeth. I glanced at his widely opened, navy blue eyes. He blinked back at me with honest interest on his face. He was about half a head taller than me.

"Pretty much", I replied.

"You're a freshman, aren't you?" He nodded towards my suitcase.

"Something like that", I answered evasively. I had no intention of entering the field of lengthy explanations five seconds after I set foot in the Academy.

"Which dorm are you in?", the boy inquired.

I found it rather strange that he asks me such a personal question, but it was still better than standing about on my own, browsing a map.

I took the admission confirmation out of my pocket again.

"Well, it says that in a place called _The old Male Dormitory_."

The guy's eyes became round.

"That's our dorm", he said. "But why would you be accommodated in a male dormitory?"

"Long story", I grumbled.

The boy frowned and then raised his eyebrows when he realized he hadn't even introduced himself. He reached out his right hand.

"Rin Okumura."

"Aya Nakada."

We pulled our hands back suddenly. Electricity generated between us and it shocked both of us a bit.

"Nice to meet you", Rin smiled, rubbing his fingers. "I'll accompany you to the dorm if you like."

"I don't want to hold you up", I said, but actually, it would have really felt good if he had went along with me.

"I have no particular business right now", he shrugged.

Rin took my suitcase out of my hand and started off with it towards the pavement on the right. He dashed forward cheerfully, pulling my case behind himself while I was dragging myself suffering from the heat.

"Tell me there's a luxury bathroom in that dorm", I moaned.

"I can't serve you with that, but we've got some awesome showers!", Rin replied.

I didn't understand how he wasn't set on fire in the black shorts he wore. Not to mention the T-shirt. I was wearing denim shorts and a sleeveless yellow top and a pair of sandals made of brown leather on my feet, but I was still hyperventilating.

"And why are you here?", Rin asked. "What'd you like to be?"

"A knight", I answered.

Slight breeze touched me. I almost tore the hair tie off my hair as I felt the air around me. My hair was pleased with its newfound freedom.

"Knight?" Rin turned around to look at me. He was grinning. "You need to take the Exwire exam before that. That's a pretty rough thing."

"I already took it", I replied. Rin seemed quite confused. "You thought I was a first year, didn't you?"

"So you're not", he drew the conclusion. "Then how are you new here?"

"It's a part of the long story what I was put in the male dorm for", I said, turning my eyes away from him. The topic felt a bit inconvenient. "I might tell you once."

The way was about ten minutes long. The Old Male Dormitory was, to say the least, a dingy place.

"You'd like a wing for your own?" Rin asked while easily pulling my suitcase on the top of the stairs.

I grimaced. "Even if I had the chance, I wouldn't dare taking it in this place. I bet there are some ghosts in there."

"It's not as bad as it looks."

Rin opened the main entrance and let me go inside first. The dorm really didn't look as battered inside as it did from the outside but something was rather strange in it. I didn't hear any noises.

Just as I would have liked to turn around to ask Rin about this, the clapping of a pair of slippers broke the silence, and after that, a big sigh came.

"It was time you've come back, Rin." The voice sounded like it was smothered with something. A moment later, I could see what that was. A half-naked guy with a towel around his waist and rubbing his face with another, stopped in front of me. "Ukobach got offended again because I wanted to prepare myself a sandwich."

I stared at the water drops rolling down on his skin petrified. I suddenly looked down when I got back my consciousness.

"Yukio, I got us a new flatmate", said Rin lively.

"New flatmate?", the guy mumbled into the towel and took it off his face. "But… a girl?!"

"Sorry for disappointing you", I grumbled a bit huffily, but I still didn't want to look up to him.

"Uh…" The guy named Yukio wrapped the second towel around his torso as he realized it wasn't the proper way to show up in front of a stranger.

At last I could look up at him without blushing. I noticed some kind of similarity between him and Rin. Yukio's eyes were dark teal, his hair was dark brown but his ears were just as pointy as Rin's. There were two moles under his left eye and one on the right side of his chin. That was the most conspicuous on him, but it wasn't repulsive at all.

Yukio stared at Rin behind me uncomprehendingly. Rin stepped forward and finally introduced us properly: "Yukio, she's Aya Nakada. Aya, he's my little brother, Yukio."

"Your little brother?" I raised my eyebrows. Yukio didn't seem to be younger than Rin, in fact, his features were less boyish than Rin's.

"We're twins, but he's a few hours older than me", Yukio explained. "Uh, well, nice to meet you."

"It doesn't seem like that. But vice versa."

"Make yourself at home and find a room for yourself", said Rin, guess just to dampen the mood.

"How many of you live in this dorm exactly?" I asked the question that had been bothering me for a few minutes.

"Along with you, four", replied Yukio.

"Hm", I murmured suspecting. "Well, I'm off then."

"Let me know if you need something!" Rin shouted as I took the corridor on the left. I waved at him as consent.

"What did you tell her about me?" I heard Yukio's outcry.

"Nothing, I swear!"


	2. Flatmates

I found a room at the middle of the corridor on the left which was relatively clean. I put my suitcase next to one of the bunk beds and looked around. It was nothing special, I thought it was just like the rooms in the dorms of the English branch of True Cross Academy. The only difference was the thick dust all over the furniture. I knew I would have to get rid of it but I opened the window first to ventilate the stale air.

I asked Rin to show me where the detergents are. He also offered his help but I didn't accept it. I always liked to arrange my business on my own. If I hadn't been so lost in the courtyard, I wouldn't have even let him escort me here.

I managed to clean the room in an hour. I made my bed and put my clothes and books in the wardrobes and on the shelves. I took out one of my towels, another short and top, my shower gel and shampoo and put on my slippers to go and have a shower. But a black cat sat in front of my door when I opened it. Its fur was white on its chest and right foreleg and chocolate brown around his nose. Tiny horns stood between its ears. It flapped its tail. More specifically, tails. It had two of it.

"A Cat Sith", I whispered for myself.

The cat meowed at me.

"Don't attack me, okay?"

The cat tilted its head one side.

"Kuro!" Rin shouted out there. "Kuro, where are you?"

The cat meowed again. A second later Rin showed up at my door.

"Here you are!", he told the cat. "Don't disturb Aya."

"You know it?", I asked.

"Sure", replied Rin. "Kuro's my familiar. He was my old man's back then."

"You're old man?"

"My dad."

"I see. So, it won't turn into its nekomata form and hook me, right?" I glanced at Rin first and then at Kuro.

"No, of course he won't", Rin dabbed. Kuro looked up at him and he looked down at the cat. He almost seemed to be listening to the cat's silent speech. "She's not an intruder, Kuro. Aya's gonna live with us." Rin started laughing. "And what if she's a girl?"

"Oh, come on, even the cat is sexist here?" I screwed my face.

"It's just strange for him", answered Rin. "And for Yukio too."

"Okay, look, for me the strange thing is that you're separated from the other students", I said. "So you don't quiz me about why I'm here and treat me not like an alien and I'll leave you alone. Deal?"

I stepped out of the room past Rin but I could almost feel his glance in my back. I was a bit rude to him, fact. But I was fed up being treated as a seventeen years old girl so much. I was primarily a warrior and only secondly a girl.

I spent virtually the whole afternoon reading my textbooks. I got hungry around seven p.m., so I got out of my bed and started off in the direction I suspected the dining hall to be. Rin and Yukio were already there, Yukio read a notebook behind the counter that separated the dining hall from the kitchen and Rin was bustling in front of the fireplace with an apron around his waist.

"What made you creep out from your room?", asked Rin, smiling at me.

"My growling stomach", I replied. I sat on the barstool a place away from Yukio. He gave an acknowledging glance to the empty seating next to us. I looked at him and got a bit surprised over the dark grey framed glasses he wore.

"Dinner's ready soon", said Rin.

"You cook?", I asked.

"Not really", replied Yukio, turning a page in his notebook. "He just helps out. Ukobach does the lion's share of the work."

"Who's Ukobach?" I frowned. I couldn't see anyone around but us.

Yukio nodded towards the kitchen counter. A tiny stove spirit was slicing a carrot, standing on the counter.

"Oh."

"Honestly, I'm more used to Rin's cooking", Yukio whispered, leaning closer. "But Ukobach's very sensitive about what he cooks, so don't mention if you don't like it. Otherwise he'll turn into a huge monster and try to cook all of us alive."

That was the moment when a heavy, metal saucepan barrelled towards us with the speed of light and before even Rin or I could warn Yukio, the saucepan hit him in the forehead and he fell off the barstool.

"It's okay, Ukobach!", Rin shouted and rushed to the demon. He tried to calm it down saying his brother didn't think it seriously.

I jumped off the stool and crouched next to Yukio who was lying on the floor. The saucepan left a nasty red spot on his forehead and I was absolutely sure the bump had already started to grow. Yukio glanced at me and he was likely to be rampaging with Ukobach being the target.

"Don't tell a word", I hissed at him. "Rin, is there some ice in the freezer?" I asked from behind the counter.

"Just a moment", said Rin. The door of the freezer opened and then closed and Rin appeared above my head with the ice cube tray. "Here you are."

"Give me a kitchen towel, please", I said.

Rin obeyed me and returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Yukio sat up but he closed his eyes.

"Feeling dizzy, huh?", I asked, patting the ice out of the tray into the kitchen towel.

"Yeah", Yukio moaned. "How do you know?"

"I had the pleasure to have these kinds of injuries a few times", I replied while tying the corners of the towel. "Here. Press it on it. It'll soothe the pain and only a little purple bump will be there tomorrow."

"I'm aware of that", Yukio grumbled. "Rin's not an angel, you know and I've been treating his injuries since he was a little child."

"Well, at least you'll now when to shut your mouth from now on", I said. "Can you stand up?"

"Sure", he fumed.

He got up and held onto the counter but he wobbled. I caught his arm quickly and held him up. It wasn't easy to hold someone about forty-five pounds heavier than me, but I thanked for the exhausting trainings which granted that we didn't fall onto the floor. On top of all that, I felt an unpleasant pinching on my skin, the same I felt when I shook Rin's hand.

"I can do it on my own!", Yukio spat at me angrily.

I let his arm go.

"Would you be so kind as not to behave as if I undermined your pride?", I asked irritated. "You're so childish."

"Says the female who takes offense at being called a girl", Yukio retorted. He turned his back on me and rushed out of the dining hall.

Rin and I looked to the direction he went with our jaws dropped.

"Is he always such a blockhead?", I asked Rin.

He shrugged.

"I've never seen him being like that", he replied. "He's usually the coolheaded one."

"So typical", I mumbled, sitting back onto the barstool. "I can bring the beast out even of the most peaceful mind."

"I don't think it's because of you", said Rin, but he was still staring at the door his brother dashed out through full of worry.

"I'm not even hungry anymore", I pouted.


	3. Improper behaviour

My first night at the Japanese branch of True Cross Academy was poor. On the one hand I had a strong sense of guilt because of how I behaved with Yukio, but my pride could overcome it. On the other hand the heat was very intense even at night and I got sweaty all over.

I tried to temporize while taking a shower and even while drying my hair because I didn't want to meet Yukio. I managed to avoid him in the end and I started off to my first class with the map in my hands.

"Aya!"

I turned around when I heard the shout. Rin rushed towards me. He just hung his tie around his neck and quickly tightened it.

"Good morning!", I greeted him when he caught up with me.

"Good morning", he panted. "I overslept a bit."

"I noticed", I grinned at him.

"I was thinking", said Rin. "And since you're an Exwire too, we must be in the same class at the Cram School."

"Yeah, I suspected this", I nodded.

"What's your first class?", he asked.

"Errr", I pulled my timetable out of my bag. I wanted to put it in my pocket, but since I had to wear a skirt, I couldn't. This skirt-thing was so far away from what I liked, even after a year, that it just made me anxious. "Literature."

"That's a shame", Rin grimaced. "It's history for me."

We went along with each other quietly for a short time. I could already see the main building a few metres away. I remembered something I should have asked Rin about.

"Say, where is this Cram School exactly?"

"Meet me at the entrance of the main building at 2.55 and we'll go there together, okay?", he offered.

"Okay", I nodded.

Rin waved his hand at a long purple haired girl and the blonde one next to her.

"I'm off now", said Rin. "Have a nice day!"

"You too", I replied. Rin rushed towards the girls. I bit my lower lip and shouted his name: "Rin!"

"Hm?", he turned back.

"Thanks for everything."

Rin smiled at me happily and nodded. I couldn't even imagine how a person could be as selfless and nice as him. In comparison, his brother was like Satan himself.

The school proved to be just as boring as it was in England. From class to class I found myself looking out of the window while the others gushed about their summer holidays. Playing truant crossed my mind more and more often. But I must have sat on my backside so as not to get dad and mum into any bigger trouble. I just needed to.

"How was your day?" Rin inquired, sitting on the edge of the fountain, swinging his legs.

"Boring", I replied. "Sadly, school really bores me. I love literature and history and all of this stuff very much, but I like to learn them my own way."

"Well, I just simply hate going to school", answered Rin, jumping off the fountain. "But the guys at the Cram School are cool. Though, the subjects are boring here too. Shall we go?"

I nodded.

Rin led me to the building that hosted the Cram School. We went along the corridor while I tried to memorize where to go. I didn't want to be tied to Rin for the next four years.

There weren't many people in the classroom. There were six students loitering in there when Rin and I appeared.

"Hey, guys", Rin greeted them. He grabbed my right shoulder and pulled me to his side. "She's Aya Nakada, our new classmate."

I wasn't shy usually, but this situation was far beyond the borders of 'usually'. I waved at them awkwardly.

"Hello", I mumbled.

"Hey", they greeted back almost all at once.

A guy with pink hair stood up from one of the desks in the back of the room. He pushed the small, bald boy with glasses in front of me away as he dashed to me. He kneeled before me and grabbed my left wrist.

"A real angel", he muttered and started kissing the back of my hand.

My eyes became round and I pulled my hand out of his.

"What?" I frowned nervously. "No, I'm not!"

"Shima!" A guy, taller than all of us with brown hair dyed blonde in the middle, wearing stubble on his chin and silver earrings in his ears, rebuked him.

"I'm Renzou Shima" The boy with the pink hair stood up. He hugged me tightly. That was the most awkward thing of the day. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"Yeah, uh, my pleasure", I moaned while trying to get rid of him. After a few pushes I managed to.

"Shiemi Moriyama." The blonde girl from the yard stepped in front of me. She was shorter than me and she had big green eyes. She bowed her head and I requited it.

"Miwa Konekomaru", nodded the small, spectacled boy.

"Izumo Kamiki", said the dark purple haired girl I saw with Moriyama on the yard, without any emotions in her tone.

"Ryuji Suguro", the tall guy introduced himself. He seemed to have the most powerful personality in the class. "Call me Bon."

"Hey, you didn't let me call you Bon when I got here!" Rin said indignantly.

"Because you're just a little troublemaker, Okumura!", Bon spat at him.

The weirdest person sat in the back of the classroom with his eyes closed and a pink, rabbit shaped sock puppet on his hand. He had curly, light brown hair.

"That's Takara", Rin replied to my unspoken question. "Don't take his offenses."

"You must be envious because your chest is much more flat than Moriyama's", Takara said to me, using his rabbit as a microphone. He seemed to be a ventriloquist.

I reached to the leather case under my skirt, pulling out my knife.

"Let me stab your rabbit into pieces!" I rattled madly. Rin caught my arm.

"Nakada!"

The shout came from behind my back. I let my hand down, tearing myself out of Rin's fingers. I turned around. Yukio stood at the door, wearing the coat of the Exorcists, carrying a thick notebook in his hand. He pressed his lips tightly together and pushed his glasses higher on his nose.

"It might occur that you solved problems using violence where you came from, but we don't threaten each other here", he said with his voice trembling with anger.

"Yeah?", I asked irritated. I tried not to pay attention to Rin who was constantly poking me. "And who are you to tell me what to do?"

"Your exorcism teacher", replied Yukio.

We stared at each other furiously. My hairs stood on end figuratively and literally too. The latter was probably caused by the electricity I felt on my face.

"Is that a joke?", I asked.

"Unfortunately, it's not", answered Rin.

I gave Yukio another angry glance but I already knew it wasn't a bad joke.

"Forgive me", I grumbled with an artery pulsing probably visibly on my neck. "_Sir._"

I trailed to the back of the classroom, followed by the tense looks of the others. I put my knife back into its case on my way to the desk. I took my exercise book and a pen, but I just twirled the writing tool between my fingers, holding my chin with my right hand, watching Yukio with a frown on my face as he precisely explained the subject. He sometimes reprimanded his brother not to sleep in the first row next to Moriyama, but apart from that he was gabbling about the knacks of exorcism. He must have practiced his speech thoroughly.

_What's his problem with me?_

_What's my problem with him?_

Naturally, I knew the answer to both questions. In this case his problem was that I almost attacked one of his students, thus I'm lucky that I didn't have to pay a visit to the headmaster or pack my stuff and board the first train home. And my problem was that he acted as if I had offended him somehow. As if I had queered his pitch.

_That's it._


	4. Failed peace treaty

When I heard the sound of the bell, I stood up immediately. The others were chattering while leaving the classroom. Yukio grabbed his stuff too and started off to the door.

"Yukio!" I shouted at him. He looked back at me, but his glance was irritated. "I mean, sir."

"What do you want, Nakada?", he asked grudgingly, pushing his glasses higher.

I took my bag on my shoulder and rushed to him. I waited for the last student, Takara to step out of the room. Then I went to the door and closed it. Yukio frowned at me.

"Listen, I guess I know what I screwed up yesterday", I said.

"I don't think we have a reason to be so personal inside the walls of the school", he stated and looked at his watch. "And now, forgive me, but I've got some business to do."

He started off to the door again, but I stepped in front of him and stopped him with my hand put on his chest. I could feel the tiny electric shocks and it made me even more worried.

"I won't forgive!" I spat at him. "Damn, treat me like a person of your age just once and not like a five year old kid, please!

Yukio didn't reply. I took my hand off him and continued my rampage. The words flew from me without any limitations: "Your anger is totally gratuitous against me. I didn't mean to cause any trouble and I know you don't like that I just broke into your lives when I was thrown into your dorm because I did something horrible and…

When Yukio raised his eyebrows, I thought it would be better to shut up. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"I'll try not to make any mess", I said. "I'll solve to be invisible at the dorm and in here too, I promise. Just give me another chance and don't hate me, okay?" I opened my eyes and looked at him. Yukio looked back at me relented, maybe with a bit ashamed expression on his face. "Rin's so nice to me. I can't be such a bad person if your own brother approaches me like that, right?"

Yukio looked me in the eye for another moment, and then he turned his eyes away. He gulped.

"Rin's naive."

I couldn't believe what I just heard.

"Are you trying to imply that…", I started, but Yukio cut me off:

"I'm not trying to imply anything. Rin really is naive. But it would be better if we starte-"

Yukio couldn't finish his sentence because at that moment the glass of one of the windows exploded and he jumped on me automatically, protecting me from the cullet. I didn't care about the tingly electrocutions; I fought my way from under Yukio. There was a burning, caustic feeling on my thigh. I looked up to see what attacked us.

An obviously berserk Naberius demon stood in front of me, sputtering its acidic saliva. I couldn't even recognize what kind of corpses it was made of. I pulled my knife out of its case again and jumped behind the demon. The monster concentrated on Yukio who just got up from the ground. The Naberius grabbed his leg, prostrating him. I raised my knife and stabbed the demon in the back, ripping up its skin. The monster bellowed in pain but it he must have had wounded Yukio, because I heard his bawl too. Rin broke the door just in time to hear as the demon rattled on an unearthly tone: "They are together… together… the Prince of Gehenna… and the heavenly… bastard…

I pulled my knife out of the Naberius's back. It screamed for last and then it turned into black fog and the only thing that left of it was a handful of dust.

"Yukio!" Rin shouted.

I wanted to rush to Yukio who was lying on the floor, but my left leg didn't let me. The Naberius's saliva burned the skin and flesh on my thigh in a spot as big as the palm of my hand. I tried not to scream from the pain and limped to Yukio. He must have got into shock because of the wound, because he lay on the floor unconscious. His coat was burnt on the back; there was a huge burn mark on it.

"We need to take him to the hospital before he dies", I moaned. Rin was staring at his brother with his mouth open. "Rin! For god's sake, take him and let's bring him to the hospital!"

"I'll take him", said Bon. I didn't even notice the others in front of the door.

We pulled up Yukio from the ground and Bon and Shima pulled him out of the room. I stayed there with Rin. He stared at me accusingly.

"What?" I grimaced. "You don't think I incited the Naberius to attack him? Geez, Rin, you can't be serious! I'm not a psychopath!"

"Why did it say that?", he asked quietly, ignoring my rampage. "Just give me an answer quickly so I can go after my brother."

"What do you mean?" I asked, but I suspected what he was talking about.

"Why are you a heavenly bastard?"

"And why is your brother the Prince of Gehenna?" I retorted. The pain in my thigh was pulsating even more.

"He's not."

"And I'm not a heavenly bastard. End of story. And now, if you allow me, I'd like to see if I managed to kill my exorcism teacher."

Rin probably sensed the worry in my voice because he looked at me painfully.

"You need to be treated to", he nodded towards my leg.

"That's nothing", I dabbed. "Let's go."


	5. Shame

The guys guarded Yukio sitting on the bench next to the door of the infirmary of the hospital in the main building as if they had been protecting the US president. By the time Rin and I got there, I had developed a very high temperature, so I had to lie on one of the iron framed beds. I had a headache but my leg hurt more as I lay in the bed. I was thinking about the recent happenings, especially the 'Prince of Gehenna' thing. That freaking Naberius almost messed up everything but at the same time the thing he said aroused my interest.

I turned my head to the right. Yukio lay prone in the bed next to mine. His clothes were taken off of his torso and the huge wound on his back was smeared with different ointments. The Doctors didn't put a blanket on him so as not to cause any more pain to him, though he was still passed out. His glasses lay on the bedside.

He seemed to be so peaceful, apart from the slight grimace on his face. _How could he be the Prince of Gehenna? The son of Satan must be a thousand times more badass than this four-eyed geek._

Yukio suddenly batted his eyelashes. And once again. Then he moved his right hand. He moaned quietly.

"Uh-oh", I mumbled just before Yukio opened his eyes widely and started bawling from the top of his lungs.

No matter that I expected him to do that, I got so frightened I made a sudden move which cause my wound lacerating and it started bleeding heavily. Yukio and I were screaming and panting all at once. He didn't dare to move and I was scratching the skin around my wound.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Rin burst into the room. He was pushed away by two Doctors immediately. One of them rushed to me with some pieces of textile, a brush-like thing and a pungent smelling tincture in her hands.

"Miss!" She spat at me, but I nearly couldn't hear it because of Yukio's screams and bellows. From somewhere in the distance I could hear the others trying to hold Rin back. They didn't let him dash into the room and insanely throwing a tantrum for his brother. The Doctor continued yelling at me: "What have you done again?!"

"You should blame that goddamn idiot!" I shouted with my eyelids pressed together tightly. The tincture wasn't only terribly stinky but it also stung as hell.

"Don't swear!" The Doctor told me.

"For all I care, I can be damned from heaven; you know, I've got a bigger problem right now!" I retorted, gritting my teeth.

"Don't you dare moving until we dismiss you! No matter that you heal faster than anyone else, you can't lacerate your wound all the time!" The Doctor scolded me. She put another antipyretic and a glass of water on my bedside table. "Take this."

She stepped away from me and left the room.

"Don't I dare to move, huh?" I grumbled. "Then how am I supposed to take this?"

I weighed on my right elbow and took the pill with the water. Yukio's misery subsided to whimper. The Doctor didn't talk to him while treating his wound. He gave Yukio an antipyretic.

"Why don't you give him a sedative?" I nodded towards Yukio who pushed his face into his pillow.

"It would be critical if he was unconscious in his state", replied the Doctor without even looking back at me. "We need to thank God that he woke up at all."

The Doctor finished her job and left us in the room. She didn't warn Yukio not to move, but I could see why she didn't. He was trembling with pain; he hardly dared to risk turning his head to the side to breathe. His face was red from the shouting and pain and it was wet from the tears. I felt so ashamed I almost started to cry too.

I waited for him to calm down a bit and spoke quietly: "I'm so sorry. It was my fault again." I was mostly just murmuring to myself. I dropped a tear. I was angry at myself and all I wished was to lie there in Yukio's stead with a wound on my back that's not even likely to heal entirely. "I messed it up again. Damn!"

I started to cry hysterically and I was hitting the mattress. I only dared to do that because I was nearly one hundred percent sure that Yukio was hallucinating at the moment. Mentally he was certainly not present.

"I spoiled it again", I moaned. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, mum. I wish you could forgive me."

The starched sheet crackled under Yukio's fingers as he grabbed it. His fist was shaking. His eyes were closed but he whispered my name almost mutely: "Aya… Aya…"

I was dismissed from the hospital four days later. I still had problems using my leg but my wound started scabbing. It really healed fast; when I got into the hospital, I was told the flesh and skin were likely not to reproduce themselves while I'm alive. Compared to this, the whole surface started to be rebuilt.

My days with Yukio in the same room were spent in such muteness as if we hadn't even known about each other's existence. I didn't dare to speak to Yukio because I was ashamed and he was definitely (and with reason) offended by me. This situation became more and more depressing, so getting out from next to him felt like breathing again.

By the time Yukio also got out of the hospital, my wound had become scabbed but I was still limping. Yukio couldn't go back to teaching yet of course; in fact, he was only allowed to lie in his bed in the dorm while Rin looked after him. Rin told me his brother had been doing this to him for fifteen years and now it was his turn to do the same. He practically never left Yukio alone, so he was absent for school for almost two weeks, but I didn't think he was nervous about it.

On a hot afternoon I was sitting in my room, resting my leg on my desk, having my precious and cherished sword in my hands. I didn't dare taking it out of my room so far because I was afraid something would happen to it. I was cleaning, polishing, sharpening, pampering and fondling it when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in", I called out.

It was Rin, of course and his cat, Kuro. Kuro meowed at me; invited himself into my room and sat onto the bed opposite to mine.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?", asked Rin. Dark shadows could be seen under his eyes, his face was haggard.

"No", I shook my head and put my sword back into the scabbard. Rin swept my weapon all over. I caught his glimpse. "Nice one, is it? You should show me yours once."

"I will", he said. "Yukio wants to talk to you."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Talk?" I asked. "I thought he hates me and tries to forget that I exist."

Rin shrugged. I sighed and put my sword back to the corner of the room. Rin turned around to step to the corridor, but I grabbed his shoulder.

"You're totally exhausted", I said. "You should sleep. Have a rest with Kuro."

I nodded towards his cat. Rin looked at the little, sleepy furball on the bed and then back at me. He seemed worried.

"Come on, I'll take care of your brother", I urged him. "And this time, I promise, nothing's going to attack us."

"Alright", Rin nodded at last. "Thanks. But if you need anything and you don't know where it is, just ask me, okay?"

"You talk too much."

Rin gave me a faint, dozy smile and turned back to my room. I closed the door and limped over the corridor. My way became far longer than it usually was, thanks to my wound, but at least I had some time to think what would happen if Yukio told me he had applied for my kicking out of school or something. I was pondering about where I could huddle myself up for, like, ever.


	6. Friends

Yukio was lying on his side in one of the bottom beds. He wasn't really allowed to put on any shirts yet, but he tried to somewhat cover himself with his blanket. His shoulders and almost his whole chest still could be seen and I discovered one or two tiny moles on them too. Yukio reached for the shelf. He hissed from the pain, but he managed to take his glasses off to put them on.

"Hey", I greeted, casting down my eyes. Even I found my behaviour rather strange from what I was used to, but I really was ashamed.

"Hey", he greeted back.

"Rin told me you wanted to talk to me", I said.

"Have a seat", he nodded towards the chair that stood next to his bed.

I was sure Rin spent about twelve hours a day sitting there. I limped inside and sat down carefully.

"Are you okay?", asked Yukio.

I looked at him surprised.

"You ask me?"

"I'm just curious", he replied on a deep tone of voice.

"Well…" I looked down at the white bandage. "Yes. I'm fine compared to you. But say, how are you feeling?"

"Awful", Yukio gave me a joyless half-smile. "It's like my back's been split open."

I gulped and looked at my hands on my lap. I pouted sadly.

"I know it was my fault", I said.

"I know you do", replied Yukio. "I heard what you said the day we got into the hospital."

"You heard me?" I lifted up my head. _Great, I humiliated myself in front of him_.

"At least a few words. I heard you said you were sorry and that you messed it up again. I don't really get why you think you did, but I guess you're wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't your fault that the Naberius popped up in the classroom."

"Yeah, I know", I turned my eyes away from his face. "But if I hadn't held you up because of that stupid thing, then…

"Then it would've attacked us on the corridor", he finished my sentence. "And why would it have been better?"

"Why did it attack us at all?" I asked. "Have you been thinking about this? You might have not known this so far but now I reveal you a secret: I attract trouble."

"You'd make a nice couple with Rin, then", replied Yukio dispassionately. He took a deep breath and he grimaced.

"This joke was lame but I understand what you mean", I said a bit gloating for his pain after this nonsense. "Maybe that demon just happened to be there."

"Yeah, sure", Yukio rolled his eyes.

"Have you got a better explanation?" I raised my eyebrows mockingly.

Yukio didn't answer. We stayed quiet for a few minutes. After that, he moaned again as he tried to sit up in the bed.

"Would you give me the water, please?" he asked.

I stood up and reached for the glass with the straw that stood on the desk, half full. It didn't mean so much trouble to Yukio to sit up as it had when we were in the hospital, but he was still hissing from the pain. He leant on his right elbow and held the glass with his other hand. After he had drunk, I put the empty glass back onto the desk.

"Rin went to sleep, did he?" he asked while lying back.

"Yeah", I nodded. "I promised him to look after you while he's asleep."

"He's overreacting this whole thing", said Yukio staring at Rin's bed as if his brother had been lying there.

"He wants to pay back what he's got from you up to now", I replied. "At least, he told me you've cared for him so much and now he wants to do the same so that he could become a real big brother."

"Rubbish", he grumbled, but he blushed a bit.

"Yukio?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really hate me?" He didn't answer. I continued talking a bit frightened and gabbling: "Because if you do, I can apply for another dorm room. If I promised that I wouldn't do anything bad, the principal must allow me to. And I can quit the Cram School too…

"Aya." Yukio uttered my name firmly. "Don't be silly. Never, ever give up on anything just because something doesn't go the way it should. Even if I hated you, I wouldn't expect you to quit the Cram School. It wouldn't even be ethic. But I don't hate you."

Yukio was absolutely honest. Or, maybe he was very good at lying. My instincts suggested the former to be likely.

"There's…" I started with a deep sigh. "There's something else. That Naberius… I think it's improbable that the thing it said had anything to do with the truth and it was a complete absurdity anyway, but… when you were already unconscious, it said something like 'the heavenly bastard and the Prince of Gehenna are together."

Yukio narrowed his eyes and frowned.

"Rin thought I might be the heavenly bastard, haha" I giggled on a high-pitched voice. When I realized how idiot it sounded, I cleared my throat. "That's why I've got a reason to believe that you know who the Prince of Gehenna is. And I really don't want to accuse anyone; I just thought you should know."

I hoped my eyes seemed as innocent as I wanted them to do. Every one of the words of my last sentence was a lie; the suspect burned my insides so much, I was afraid it could set the whole dorm on fire.

I expected Yukio to make excuses, but instead of this, he asked me a rather awkward question: "Are you sure you're not a descendant of a heavenly creature?"

I stared at him with my mouth wide open. I indignantly jumped off the chair. It made me grimace with pain. Not like he asked me such an offensive thing, but still.

"A descendant of a heavenly creature?" I echoed. "Are you insane, man? I mean, shouldn't I be marvellously beautiful or possess some kind of superpower or just fly with wings?"

"What if your superpower is to hide the other signs?" asked Yukio.

"You can't think it seriously."

"I don't", he shook his head as he looked up at me. "But then you can say the same about me."

"I told you I'm not suspecting you."

"Unfortunately, you lied."

I turned my eyes towards the ceiling.

"Okay, I did" I pursed my lips. "I might have thought about what if it was about you."

"And the result?"

I looked down at him tired-impatiently. His dark teal eyes showed honest interest.

"The result, I guess, is that the son of Satan must be ugly as hell…"

"Can I take this as a compliment?"

"…and definitely much cooler than you", I finished.

"I hate you", he said unemotionally.

"I hate you too", I nodded. "But let's be serious. Why did you behave like that? Why were you such an asshole to me in the hospital? You didn't even talk to me. You said you don't hate me and that you know the Naberius's attack wasn't my fault. So then?"

Yukio sighed. He rubbed his face with his hand.

"Fine", he said. "Firstly, my back hurt like crazy. Secondly, I was still angry at you because you threatened Takara. You know, in that moment you risked my job as a teacher."

"Oh", I replied ashamed. "I'm sorry, it's just… I'm a bit hot-headed sometimes. But you really should've told me about it and we could've forgotten it."

"Or beaten up each other in those beds." I almost couldn't believe he smiled at me. It definitely felt good. I smiled at him too.

"So can we have a fresh start?" I asked.

"Friends?"

I bit my lower lip and reached out my arm. Yukio shook my hand.

"Friends."


	7. Misunderstanding

During the next four weeks my wound became fully healed. It left an ugly scar, but I didn't really care about it. All the more did the other students. A lot of them looked at my thigh horrified as if at least my leg had been amputated, when it was only a reddish, a bit shiny scar as big as my palm actually. It didn't really bother me that they were so averse to it. I usually didn't like scandalizing, but the fact that they didn't like something on me didn't affect me badly.

"Okay, so here's this thing that makes me a bit worried" I told Rin with my mouth full of food.

We were sitting opposite to each other in the dining hall of the dorm on an unbearably hot Saturday noon. We were gobbling the chicken Ukobach prepared for us. The demon was just setting Yukio's portion aside so that he could eat it when he had woken up.

"Yeah, I'm listening", Rin mumbled, filtering the words through the grains of rice.

"Have you noticed that…", I swallowed the food that was in my mouth. "Every time our hands touch or something, we get electrocuted? Or am I the only one who can feel it?"

Rin looked up from his bowl. He frowned confused.

"Don't tell me you can't feel it!" I rolled my eyes.

I reached out my right hand which had no chopsticks in it and held his. I could feel the tiny electric shocks immediately.

"You mean this?" Rin asked while I pulled back my arm. "I thought that was a one-time thing."

"It wasn't" I shook my head. I put down the chopsticks, pushed the empty bowl away and leaned back on the chair. "The same thing happens when I touch Yukio. It doesn't hurt but it's pretty unpleasant."

"Maybe your hand becomes charged with electricity by something" Rin shrugged and stood up to bring our bowls to the kitchen.

I was thinking. What the heck could cause it? My clothes? It was kind of improbable since I had never experienced this before. There couldn't be anything in the dorm either, because I could feel it already when I shook Rin's hand in the courtyard of the school.

I stood up from the table.

"Rin?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Rin stepped out of the kitchen.

"Sure", he nodded.

"Touch my face."

Rin's eyes opened widely.

"What?" he groaned.

"Just put your hand on it the way you want, it doesn't matter", I cluttered irritated. "I want to know if it really is because of me."

Rin raised his left hand hesitantly and slowly touched my face.

"I'm starv-"

Rin and I turned to the messy haired Yukio who was sleepily staggering into the dining hall, wearing a creasy T-shirt. Rin's hand was still put on my face and I could feel the little shocks. Yukio stared at us appalled.

"What are you…?" he started but Rin pulled his hand back quickly and we started to explain the thing away all at once:

"We really didn't…"

"Nothing…"

"We were just talking and…"

"We had lunch…"

Our faces became as red as two tomatoes as if we had done anything bad.

"I need to go", I announced and dashed out of the dining hall.

I got prepared in my room because I planned to go to the gym of the school anyway. That was my first opportunity to do that since I managed to get injured on the first week.

With my sword on my side I rushed out of the dormitory. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough because Yukio shouted at me: "Aya!"

I turned around grudgingly. Yukio still couldn't move with his normal speed but at least he could walk at all. He put on his black Exorcist coat on the move. I didn't want him to, but he came along with me.

"Are you sure you're allowed to move that much?" I asked, hoping he would turn around and go back to the dorm.

"I have no idea", he replied. "But I don't even care."

"Where are you heading to, anyway?"

"I'd like to teach again from Monday, that's what I want to talk with the principal about. And you?"

"Just training a bit", I pointed at my sword.

"Don't you think your scar would lacerate?" Yukio glanced at my thigh.

The fact that my shorts were short started to bother me suddenly. I was cursing mutely because I had become so sensitive for everything that was in connection with me. Maybe it was just strange after being alone for so long in the English Academy.

"I don't think so", I shrugged. "I'll watch out for it."

Awkward silence fell on us. We ambled by each other's side without speaking; I was wondering how Yukio didn't break a sweat in that seemingly awfully warm coat. He had a weird expression on his face.

"So", he said few minutes later. "What about you and Rin? It appeared that you enjoy each other's company."

I stared at him shocked. Yukio turned away his eyes.

"I mean…" he cleared his throat and set the buttons of his coat right. "You know, I wouldn't like you to distract him from studying."

I was blinking at him with a tormented expression. I was afraid anything I would say might seem suspicious for him. _But for God's sake, why do I care about someone else's thoughts anyway?!_

"Would you say something already?" Yukio looked back at me.

"What should I say?" I shrugged.

"Answer me: are you guys together?"

I sighed anxiously. Yukio's look suggested the 'you're busted' thought like a teal coloured laser.

"Rin and I?" I asked with an emphasis that must have had made the answer obvious. "Geez, Yukio. You wear glasses but you're still so blind?"

"What are you trying to imply?" Yukio narrowed his eyes and pushed the glasses higher on his nose.

"I'm trying to imply that Rin's totally into Moriyama" I rolled my eyes. "You're together twenty-four hours a day and you want to tell me you haven't noticed it?"

"He's into Shiemi?" Yukio dropped his jaw.

"Well, my friend, you've still got some things to learn about your own brother" I patted his shoulder.

He looked at my hand as if a fly had dunged on his coat.

"Do you ever smile, man? Or it just happens accidentally sometimes?" I grimaced.

Yukio smiled ironically. He looked like his mouth had been stretched because of a dental treatment. He looked so lame I burst into laughter. He grinned too, not only with his lips but also with his eyes.


	8. Truth

We stepped into the school building. Pleasantly cool air circulated in there.

"Well then, good luck" I waved at Yukio as I started off towards the gym.

"You…" he started, but a shout cut him off:

"Miss Nakada!"

I turned back. The weirdo in his white coat, pants and huge hat who happened to be the principal even though I couldn't have imagined a more inappropriate looking person to fill this job, approached us.

"Sir Pheles!" Yukio bowed his head. "I was just on my way to you."

"And I'd like to talk to the young lady, if you don't mind", the principal replied on his pompous, strange voice.

"To me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Follow me into my office, please" The principal beckoned me and started off to the direction I had gone before but with another purpose.

We went along the corridor. Yukio was following us. I looked at him questioningly and he answered with a blink of his eyes. He stopped in front of the principal's office and started waiting while I closed the door after I had stepped in.

I stood before the principal sitting down behind the name tag which read _Johann Faust._

"Have a seat!" he pointed at the chair next to me.

"Thank you, but I'd like to stand", I replied.

I clenched my fists nervously. I had been to the principals' office too many times to have cramps in my stomach when I had to go there again. Not to mention the situation was just the same when I got kicked out from the other school…

"I've got something to discuss with you, Miss Nakada", the principal started. He leaned back on his chair. "You know, the Naberius attack a few weeks ago couldn't be overlooked by me."

"Then how come you mention it now?" I asked involuntarily.

"I had to travel to somewhere and I returned yesterday, but you really shouldn't care about it", he answered. He offered me a box full of sweets. "Jellybeans?"

"No, thank you!" I shook my head. I became more and more huffy.

"Well, you know why you're in this school", the principal said and nibbled a purple jellybean.

"Yes, I do", I turned my eyes away. "Because I got another chance."

"Exactly", he nodded. "The rule that if you endanger other's life again we will have to take you before higher authority, wasn't created by me. But unfortunately there are some certain circumstances that make me suggest you don't belong here."

"What?" I lifted up my head. I stepped to the desk desperately and grabbed its edge. Anger and dread were mixed in my mind. "Sir Pheles, please! I didn't do anything. I didn't get away, didn't punch my classmates, I didn't even blow the dormitory up! I didn't do anything similar to what I did when I was at my old school!"

I hushed up about what happened between me and Takara deliberately.

"That is true", the principal nodded. "And both of us know that it's not due to your will power but to your fear."

"Who cares if the result is the same?" I asked despairingly.

"You're not hearing me out, Miss Nakada."

"Excuse me." I straightened up and tried to calm down.

"It is not your fault that I am considering your removal from the school", the principal went on, licking the jellybean remnants off his fingers. "I know about the thing the Naberius told you and Mr. Okumura."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"You know, the problem is, that I cannot kick the Okumura brothers out of here", he said casually. "I need the sons of Satan."

I felt like someone suddenly punched me in the stomach. It took away my breath, my mouth and eyes opened.

"You…" I mumbled after two minutes of silence. "You mean…"

"Rin and Yukio Okumura are the spawns of Satan?" The principal glanced up at me curiously. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

The door flung open and Yukio dashed inside. He was raging and for a second I actually believed he was the son of the hell's angel.

"You really have to be so loudmouthed?" he rattled with his voice trembling with fury, pointing at the principal accusingly.

"Mr. Okumura!" the principal shouted happily. "What a pleasure to welcome you to our midst! Have a…"

"I won't have a seat!" Yukio spat at him. "Rin and I didn't plan to tell Aya what we are!"

"You didn't?" I blabbed, staring at him still aghast.

"Oh, Mr. Okumura, but the whole school knows about it", the principal dabbed and had another jellybean. His negligent behaviour was rather irritating.

"That's exactly it!" Yukio continued his rampage. "She would have been the only one we could have a good impression on and she might haven't mentioned us as the sons of Satan!"

"But I…" I started, but I couldn't finish my sentence, because the principal started giggling.

"Mr. Okumura", he said smiling, "if you stopped yelling at me and took the trouble to have a deeper conversation with Miss Nakada, you would know she also has some things to hide."

"Sir Pheles!" I shouted.

Yukio was still angry but he glanced at me a bit surprised.

"The best would be if we arranged it between ourselves", he told the principal, not turning his gaze away from me.

"I can assure you, Sir Pheles, that there won't be any problems between the boys and me" I said meaningfully. "Nothing's going to come to light that you might kick me out of the school for."

I turned around and stepped out of the open door. Yukio followed me.

"You mean you won't tell anyone about your provena-" Mr. Pheles shouted and I pushed Yukio's hand away the handle to slam the door.


	9. Open book

I didn't get to the gym that day and Yukio couldn't announce his return as an exorcism teacher either. We walked back to the dorm without telling a word, because we knew we had something to discuss - him, Rin and me.

"What are you doing here?" Rin looked at us with his eyes wide open in. He was in the kitchen as we suspected him to be. He was helping Ukobach with the dinner. "Why did you come back so early?"

"We need to talk, Rin", said Yukio on a deep tone of voice. "Sit down, please."

Rin looked from him to me. His eyes showed he was a bit nervous as we sat down opposite to each other. He put the bowl he had in his hands down and with the apron around his waist, he sat next to Yukio. I gulped and glanced at Rin.

_The two Okumuras would really be the sons of Satan? Guess, it would explain their ears and Rin's pointy canine teeth, but their behaviour isn't like two hellions' at all. Even though my presence was forced on them and I had some quarrels with Yukio, they were the only ones who got close to me during the month I've spent here._

"Sir Pheles was so kind as to tell Aya who we really are", said Yukio, outlining the situation to his brother.

"What?", asked Rin shocked. "Mephisto told her?"

"Mephisto?" I looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Introducing himself on different names is one of our kind principal's favourite hobbies", Yukio explained.

"So I guess you're afraid of us now", Rin lowered his head.

"It's a completely normal reaction, the others were scared too" Yukio added.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Scared?" I was perplexed. "I'm not scared of you."

"You're not?" Rin looked up.

"No", I shook my head. "If you would've wanted to kill me, you'd done it already. If you could lose your mind in any minute, it would've happened already. I don't believe the fact that I know who your father is changes anything."

Rin squirmed uncomfortably.

"Just our biological father", Yukio specified. "An Exorcist brought us up. A Paladin. He died one and a half years ago."

"Shiro Fujimoto?" I asked.

"Did you know him?" Rin dropped his jaw.

"Not personally. But I heard about him."

I could see how good it felt for them to hear how famous their stepdad was. Rin's face was lightened up and sad at the same time.

"We understand if you wouldn't like to live in this dormitory with us", said Yukio.

"What were you not able to understand from that I don't care how other people call you?" I asked with a grimace on my face. "And I don't even have a choice but living here."

I looked down at my legs. I was embarrassed and shame inundated me with a surprising power. I felt my face turning red. I gulped again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I heard Rin's kind, soft voice.

"I know I owe you an answer", I replied. I pouted and I was very afraid I would cry in front of them. "I know I should tell you why I'm separated from the others. You deserve me to tell you after I learned your secret and it would be important to the mutual trust…"

"You don't owe us anything", said Yukio.

I looked at him. I saw he meant it.

"I do", I answered. "Wouldn't you feel like that if you were me? Don't you think there's a reason of why I got here? What if… if you're risking your life with having breakfast with me every day?"

"I'd feel like that if I were you", Rin replied. "But apart from that we don't expect you to confess."

I stood up from the table.

"Thanks, guys."

I needed to step down immediately, because I couldn't bear the tension anymore. I rushed over the corridor, passed by Kuro and dashed into my room in panic. My tears started to stream down on my face instantly. I collapsed on my bed.

I didn't even know what my problem actually was. On the one hand the fact that I had to hide my secrets from Rin and Yukio when they were like open books in front of me depressed me. On the other hand I was scared they would be afraid of me if they knew the things my family and the people from my past tried to hide. I was afraid they would treat me as a beast; that they would behave differently with me like they had so far at all. But I was afraid of myself the most. That I would push my first… friends in months off just like I had done before. I was dread I would stay alone with my thoughts, memories and feelings again.

I played back the events in my head and cried even more desperately. It was horrible to think what would happen if I fulfilled my mission. It reached my mind in that moment but it was so intense I thought my brain would explode.

I blew my nose, but I was still shaking from the crying. Someone knocked on my door.

"Come in", I called on a hoarse voice.

Yukio stepped in and closed the door. He had a bowl of steamy food in his hands.

"Rin sent you some soup", he showed me the bowl.

"Thank you", I mumbled. My tears were still dropping on my lap. "Would you put it on the desk?"

Yukio nodded and I blew my nose again. A moment later Yukio sat on the edge of my bed. The mattress rose a few inches under me.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

I gave him a sad half-smile and shook my head.

"I'm not."

"It's because what we were talking about, right?"

"More or less", I shrugged.

"Aya, we really won't force you to tell us anything", said Yukio. "I don't believe anything could be worse than what you came to know about us, anyway."

"You have now idea how much worse it is", I replied, playing with the corner of my blanket. "The thing is that I can't hold it back for so long now, because I feel like this whole thing is devouring me from inside."

Yukio watched me as I fight against the tears for a few seconds. There was no point in doing that actually; there was no more miserable state he could see me in.

"If you want to tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone", he said finally.

"Not even Rin?" I looked up at him, sniffling.

"Not even him."

"Okay", I nodded. "Because he's so kind to me. And I don't want to hurt him. But you behaved like an asshole to me and I don't know why I trust you, but I guess you won't freak out so much as Rin would."

Yukio smiled at me.

"I'm sorry", he said.

"Me too", I replied. I blew my nose once again and wiped my face with another tissue. "Because I was an asshole too."

"Yeah, I know", Yukio grinned.


	10. Broken

I needed to look up at the bottom of the bed above us to swallow my tears back. I took a deep breath and started my story: "I lived with my dad in England until last May. Dad was born in Japan but they moved to England with my mum before my birth and so we could get back here when I was kicked out from the True Cross Academy there." I looked at Yukio, expecting some kind of reaction, but he was just listening patiently. My eyes became watery again. "The most horrible thing is exactly what I was kicked out for. I've always been quick-tempered and reckless in a bad way. I did a lot of stupid things, I risked my own life and my family's a number of times. Everyone thought it's just childhood defiance… and that I would grow it out. But as I grew older it became worse and worse. I summoned demons just to have fun killing them. I never had real friends, but two years ago a girl finally treated me the way I expected everyone to do. She didn't see the rebellious little girl in me but the imperfect warrior, the Exorcist pupil whose ambitions were more important to her than anything else. And she accepted me. We became best friends. I told her about my best-kept secret…"

I released a sigh. It was so hard to confess when the last time I told about it to someone; it didn't go the way I wanted for the first time either.

"Yukio?"

"Yes?"

I sat closer to him so that I could be sure his answer would be honest. Yukio glanced at me surprised but he didn't keep off, indicating that he's open to anything I would tell him.

"Would you promise me you won't look at me in a different way if I told you?"

"I promise."

I closed my eyes.

"My mother is an angel", I said. Saying it out loud was really a weight off my mind but it left emptiness and it made me even sadder. "That's why the Naberius called me a heavenly bastard. Because my mother had a child from a human."

Yukio's glance jumped from one of my eye to the other when I opened them. He was blinking rapidly as if he had found it difficult to understand what I said. I went on with the story: "I told her about this too. Ariel. That was the girl's name. My best friend's. And she accepted it. But I was always so stubborn and we had a lot of quarrels. I attacked her with things no one should tell not to their friends but even their enemies. We were fighting over a petty thing; I don't even remember what it was, because it was so much more insignificant than what happened. I studied to be a Tamer and a Knight at the same time, so I had a familiar. It was just a Goblin, but when Ariel shouted 'you're a bloody half-breed', I got angry and I summoned it. My anger charged the Goblin with power and it attacked Ariel." I had to stop for a moment because I started weeping bitterly again. Yukio put his hand on my shoulder, ignoring the electric shocks. "It attacked her and… and… I killed my best friend!"

I could feel how Yukio got petrified. His palm slipped off my shoulder.

"I killed my best friend!" I sobbed. "The only person who ever understood me! And instead of being executed… or sent to jail… I was sent here! How am I supposed to live with this until the end of my life?!"

I looked at Yukio, begging. I didn't want him to hate me again. I couldn't have born it. He stared at me terrified and I knew I messed up everything. Our friendship was over before it could have started. I didn't blame him; I would have run out of the room if I had been him.

"I understand if…" I sniffled. "If you don't want to see me again. I'll pack up immediately and leave if you want me to…"

Yukio didn't answer. That hurt me the most. He could have yelled at me, hit me or anything he wanted, but the silence suggested he had no words for such a sin.

"Come here", he said quietly.

I didn't understand what he wanted, but he stretched his arms out and hugged me tightly. I was blinking confused as he held me. Not even the tiny pin-pricks could spoil the feeling. I hugged him back, laying my head on his coat. Yukio didn't let me go until I kept off. I blew my nose for the hundredth time.

Yukio lifted his hand up and wiped the tears off my face gently.

"I'm sure the shocks are caused by that too", he said, looking at his fingers. "Because we are completely opposite."

"Why are you so nice to me?" I asked on a nasal twang from crying. "Did you understand what I told you?"

"I did", Yukio replied and put down his arm. "But I don't judge you for it. You didn't kill her."

"_I _summoned my familiar. It was _my_ anger that caused her death."

"And did you ask your familiar to kill her?"

"No. I didn't, but…"

"Aya, listen", Yukio released a deep sigh. "I don't say you're innocent. I just say that you weren't the one who killed Ariel. You need to understand that I can't look at you in another way I have done up to now, no matter how much you want me to."

I lowered my head. I was still broken and felt miserable, but at least Yukio didn't hate me.

"You're not a bad person. Look at me", he said. He reached out his hand and lifted up my head with his index finger under my chin. "Don't be so harsh to yourself."

His teal eyes tried to convince me.

"But that's what I deserve", I stated quietly.

"No one deserves this", replied Yukio.

I knew I would never, ever forget those honest eyes until I'm alive. I knew that I would never forget how he pulled me up from the dust I fell in.

Yukio leaned forward, still looking into my eyes and held my face with his hands. His nose touched mine, his lips stroke mines fondly. I forgot to breathe for a moment as he kissed me. That was the most obvious thing I had ever experienced. I was absolutely sure it had to happen like that, even though the little thunder strokes kept suggesting going far away from him. He slid his arms on my back and pulled me closer. I embraced his neck, making sure not to touch his wound.

I lay on the bed and Yukio leaned over me. My lips hurt from the shocks and I was certain his hurt too, but it didn't seem to scare him.

"You are the most wonderful person I've ever met", he whispered in my mouth.

"Shut up."

I could feel him smiling.

"Yukio! Yukio!"

Yukio stopped loath. "Oh, what's that again, Rin?", he grumbled loudly.

"Your phone's ringing!"

Yukio grimaced and raised his eyebrows questioningly at me.

"Go", I said. "It might be something important."

"I'll come back."

He stood up, squeezed my hand and stepped out of the room.

He confirmed what I had been thinking of a little while then with this kiss: I needed to get out from within the boundaries of the Japanese branch of True Cross Academy as soon as possible.


	11. Forbidden fruit

Yukio kept his promise and returned after he had made the phone call.

"Well?" I asked when he got back.

"It was Mephisto", he rolled his eyes. He sat onto my bed cautiously. He had some kind of little jar in his hand. "He inquired which party is winning: you or Rin and I."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That all three of us won because we talked the things over. I also told him that I'll return to work on Monday", he replied. He reached the jar to me and took some bandages out of the pocket of his coat. "Would you mind salving my wound and bandaging it again? Rin's sacked out."

"How many hours does your brother sleep a day exactly?" I inquired. I noticed Rin slept a lot even on weekdays.

"Eleven, on average."

Yukio took off his shoes, turned his back to me and sat cross-legged. He threw his coat and T-shirt on the chair in front of my desk. I took off gently the bandage that protected the wound from friction. I almost started to cry again as I saw the burnt skin on his back. That was because of me too.

Barely touching the wound, I salved the burnt part. I didn't want the electric shocks to make the procedure even more painful for Yukio. He hissed a lot even so.

"Thank you", said Yukio after I had bandaged the wound again. He turned back towards me and wanted to kiss me, but I kept off. "What's the matter?"

"Yukio, did you comprehend that we violated the rules?"

"It's not violating the rules until someone gets to know about it", he said and wanted to kiss my neck, but I pressed my palm to his chest and pushed him away.

"How much time do you think it will take for Rin to figure out about this?" I asked indignantly. "Damn it, you're my teacher! It was a one-time thing; I grew feeble and lost my mind."

Yukio frowned and sat back with a grimace on his face. He looked at me confused.

"You're really telling me it didn't mean anything to you but consolation?" he asked.

"Don't twist my words!" I spat at him. "I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about that you can lose your job because of this!"

"_That's_ why you're worried for?"

"Yes, I'm freaking worried, because I have no intention of causing pain to any more people!"

Yukio released a deep, helpless sigh and turned his eyes away. He shook his head as if he had been thinking about something.

"You know, you shouldn't play with others' feelings", he looked at me again. He had a mixture of a mocking and an offended expression on his face.

"Feelings?" I echoed with disbelief. "What feelings, Yukio? You haven't even known who I really have been apart from my name and looks until today."

Yukio looked at me as if I had slapped him in the face. I felt exactly the same way; my words were cruel and hurt me a bit too, because even though we went beyond the relationship of two flatmates, I didn't dare to admit even to myself that I had been attracted to Yukio from the very first moment.

"This is just sick", Yukio shook his head. He stood up from the bed and put on his shirt.

"Do you think it's sick? I am sick?" I asked aghast.

"I'm done", he said and stepped to the door, but before he could have opened it, I jumped in front of him and prevented it.

"Answer me honestly", I said. Yukio looked down at me. He was so close I could see the tiny dusts on the lens of his glasses. "You really want me not to care about the possibility that we might get busted?"

"What do you think I tried to imply so far?", he asked sarcastically.

"You're so annoying, Yukio Okumura", I hissed.

"I'm nothing compared to you."

I took off his glasses and put it on the table.

"I don't mind playing like this", I shrugged.

I grabbed Yukio's T-shirt and pulled his torso down so I could kiss him.

We were kissing all night and fortunately didn't get further. We still had small fights between two kissing battles. We finished our last quarrel around midnight. I rushed him out of the room and threw his coat after him. I sat back onto the bed angrily. I told Yukio no such thing can occur ever again, but I didn't really think through what it meant. I literally couldn't meet him again. I was already in grave danger. And so were him and Rin.

It took me about forty-five minutes to pack up my stuff. I rushed out of the dormitory as quietly as I could. I didn't want Kuro to hear me. I closed the front door slowly.

"Goodbye, guys", I whispered to the glass panel on the door.

I heard a shrill hiss from behind my back. I got absolutely petrified for a second. I turned around as slowly as I dared to, so about as quickly as a snail.

About four metres above my head my glance met a snake's. It opened its mouth so big it could have swallowed me thwart. The murderous juice was dripping from its huge fangs.

"Jesus. Christ."

At the moment I spoke, the Naga demon attacked. I jumped from it in time and drew my sword.

"Couldn't we do this a bit farther of this building?" I asked the enormous serpent.

The demon assaulted again and I had to jump on the top of the fence to avoid it. I sprang on the roof above the entrance and leapt down on the stairs. I ran to the snake's tail and tried to cut into it, but its skin was so tough, the blade of my sword rebounded from it.

"Uh-oh", I mumbled.

The serpent flipped its head back. I was too slow. It swung its tail and hit me in the stomach, throwing me to the wall. I coughed blood. I knew I would have to stand up or else I would breathe my last there, but I was sure a few of my ribs fractured, because I could barely take a breath. The door flung open next to me and distracted the Naga.

"What the…?!" Rin shouted.

"Aya!" Yukio rushed to me, crouched by me and lifted up my head so that I could look at him. "Are you all right?"

I nodded.

"Help me stand up", I said nearly mutely.

"You'd better stay here."

"I said help me stand up, God damn it!" I yelled at him on a hoarse voice which made me twitch convulsively.

Yukio helped me get on my feet. Even though I felt dizzy, I could see Rin drawing out his sword. I witnessed the most dazzling thing I had ever seen. Rin's sword, the Kurikara I heard so much about had sharp, blue flames around it. Then, a moment later the flames were all around Rin too. His ears elongated and he had a beastly expression on his face.

Rin jumped up in the sky and Yukio pulled the trigger of his gun. He managed to injure the snake on a spot, but it only became wilder and more furious. I floundered further, leaning against the wall, making sure the snake not to notice me. Yukio was shooting the Naga incessantly, but the demon avoided most of the bullets. It was rather quick despite its size. Rin had no opportunity to strike yet.

All I wished for was to help them, but on the one hand, all of my internal organs hurt like hell and I felt like throwing up and on the other hand, I knew I would just have stood in their way, since my sword was worthless against the demon.

Rin bellowed and cut the serpent's head with a single stroke. The head fell down to the ground. The body collapsed next to it with a huge thump and both parts of the demon turned into black ashes.

Rin put his sword back into its scabbard and Yukio placed his gun in the waist of his pyjama pants. They both turned to me.

"What the hell was that?!" Rin asked me indignantly.

"No idea", I moaned. "I just came out and it was here."

"Why did you come out at all?" Yukio crossed his arms.

"I guess you've got enough brains to… find out." I nodded towards my overturned luggage which lay around in front of the door.

"You wanna leave?" Rin asked surprised.

"I will", I replied.

I pushed myself from the wall and limping, groaning with every step, I went to my stuff. I coughed blood again. Yukio reached out his left arm in front of me to prevent me from further moving.

"But only after you'd been treated in the hospital", he said in a peremptory tone. The lens of his glasses shone ominously in the moonlight.

"I'm not staying here any minute longer", I answered. We had a silent battle, looking each other in the eye.

"But why do you want to leave?" Rin inquired.

"Because I need to", I turned to him. "But I'll come back."

"When?"

"She's lying, Rin", Yukio replied.

I closed my eyes to calm down. I didn't want to hit him. He made me so mad no one had for a long time.

"It is my decision, my business; even if I had committed suicide, it wouldn't concern you", I hissed without even watching my words. I opened my eyes. Yukio put down his hands slowly and looked at me the way he had done during our fights that day. "Don't think too much of it, okay? I'm not planning to kill myself. I just want to go home to my father."

"But wh-", Rin started, but I cut him off:

"I won't answer this question clearly, anyway, Rin. I'm sorry."

I passed by Yukio, picked up my backpack and held the strap of my suitcase.

"Thank you for everything", I nodded to them.

I started off on the tortuous road that led to the gate of the school.

"So what you told me wasn't true, was it?" Yukio shouted at me. I stopped but didn't turn around. "You told me your ambitions ere more important for you than anything. And yet you want to leave? You want to give up on your dream?"

"I don't", I replied on a volume he could hear me. "But I need to."

"I didn't expect this from you!"

"I'm sorry", I said quietly. I knew I was the only one to hear it. "I didn't expect this from myself, either."

I got going again, consolidating my decision.


	12. Short escape

I had a nap on the subway. It really was only about half an hour and I slept just so that I could run away from my thoughts which upset me so much. The subway trip was two and a half hours long along with the transfers. I got off the train and dragged my suitcase to home.

My stomach still pulsated a bit, but thanks to the genes I inherited from my mother, the internal bleedings mustn't have lasted longer than a few minutes and the blood was absorbed from the tissues in my body. The pain I still felt might have been because of the punch I got from the snake.

I ambled under the starry sky in the warm, dark night. I dragged my loudly rattling suitcase on the asphalt. I was looking for our gate among the same-looking houses. When I got there, I took out my keys from my pocket and stepped in the yard. I opened the front door too and closed it after myself.

The TV was on, it cast flashing blue shadows on the walls. Dad fell asleep on the couch with his head flipped back on the backrest with his mouth open. I tried to walk along the dark house as quietly as it was possible, but I stumbled upon a pair of shoes and my suitcase fell out of my hand.

Dad jumped off the couch frightened.

"Who's that?!", he shouted.

"Relax, dad", I said quietly. "It's just me."

"Aya?"

Dad went to the light switch. His fingers still rested on the switch after he had pushed it as he stared at me astonished.

"Sweetheart", he said silently.

I cast down my eyes. Dad ran across the room and stopped in front of me for a moment. He examined me with his glance and then he hugged me tightly.

"What are you doing here, my little girl?" he asked.

"I just… I just had to come home", I replied.

Dad released me. He looked at my face frowning.

"What happened?" he questioned me. "You didn't… you didn't summon it again, right…?

"No", I shook my head. "I need some time. Maybe a week. We'll… we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Are you sure everything is all right?" dad worried.

He was hardly a head taller than me. His short, brown hair was messy. His eyes were just as brown as mines and they scanned me as if they had known exactly what the problem was. But he couldn't have known. He couldn't.

I nodded finally. "Don't worry about me. I'll solve this."

Dad stroke the top of my head.

"Be safe", he said. "I don't want to lose you too."

_You won't_ - that's what I wanted to tell him but I couldn't. I couldn't lie to dad any more and I wasn't sure if I told him he wouldn't lose me that would have been true at all.

"Good night", I mumbled.

I took up my suitcase and left dad alone in the living room.

I stepped into my bedroom and switched the light on. Everything stayed the way it had been when I left a month and a half before. There were pictures about mum, dad, Ariel and me all over the walls. Pencil cases and the monitor of a computer stood on the desk. My bed was empty and unmade.

I put my suitcase beside the desk. I didn't care I was dressed; I lay down on the bed. I would have preferred to take a shower, but I felt as heavy as a huge rock.

I was half asleep when I heard the slam of the front door and dad's shout: "WHO ARE YOU?!"

I jumped off my bed immediately. The rumble of steps could be heard from the living room. I snatched my sword and opened the door of my room.

Two burly men stood in front of me; both of them had a strict expression on their faces. Dad was shouting behind their backs.

"Aya Nakada, in the name of the Vatican you are arrested", said one of the men. He had a deep voice and grey hair and he was about six and a half feet tall.

"Arrested?!" dad yelled. "That's impossible! You're wrong!"

"Put down your weapon", the other man told me.

_I expected this, after all._

I threw my sword on my bed.

"What's going on?!" dad asked the two men worried. "What's the charge against my daughter?"

"She broke her promise", replied the grey-haired guy. "Even though she knew about the consequences."

I felt my shoulders sagging. The second man grabbed my arm and turned me around. He held my wrists behind my back and I felt a cold metal on my skin. The handcuffs were clicked on my hands.

I was dragged out of my room. Dad's eyes were watery, his mouth was open.

"I'm sorry, dad", I whispered as I looked at him.

"They can't take you away" dad spat at the men less powerfully than before, staring at me.

"That will be the best to do", I said.

"No!"

Dad rushed into my room and ran against the two men with my sword in his hands.

"No, dad!", I screamed.

But it was too late. The gray-haired guy turned around and hit dad in the temple. Dad collapsed on the floor unconsciously.

"What have you done to him?!" I bellowed, struggling.

"He just fainted", the man replied.

"Dad!" I cried. "Dad, I love you!"

And then the door closed behind me.


	13. Trial

I had cramps in my stomach while sitting on the private plane of the Vatican the whole time. The two men never left me alone as if I had been some kind of dangerous criminal. They even followed me to the bathroom. They offered me food, but I rejected it. Then, in the last three hours of the twelve hours long journey, I managed to fall asleep.

"Wake up!" the grey haired guy growled at me when the plane landed. I didn't even notice how the wheels touched the ground.

The sky just started to turn into golden in Vatican City. I had no idea what time it was exactly, but I guessed it was about seven pm.

I was led along the way to Saint Peter's Basilica like a circus animal. Even though civilians weren't allowed to step on the road we went along and so no one could see me, I felt humiliated.

I had some business with the Vatican's men before, but I had never been to their headquarters. If I hadn't lived the last minutes of my life, I must have had appreciated the fancy wall decors. The two captors of mine led me to an oval platform in a huge hall. They stopped me in front of the handrail.

"Take the handcuffs off", a sublime, hoarse voice instructed them.

The two men obeyed. Once my hands were free, the platform rose under me. I still had to look up at the members of the Grigori who sat in their strange uniforms in front of me, even though I was about ten feet above the ground.

"Aya Nakada", the leader of the Grigori called my name. I had no idea who he was. He had long blonde hair and he barely seemed more than 26 or 27. "Your trial hereby begins. I ask you to give satisfactory, but not lengthy answers to my questions."

"All right", I nodded. My voice was trembling.

"Aya Nakada, you were sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Vatican one and a half years ago", said the man. "Is that right?"

"It is", I replied.

"Could you recall what the charge was against you?"

I took a deep breath. I knew whining would have just made things worse. The Grigori didn't consist of some kindergarten teachers, but adults who treated me as an Exorcist pupil. As I had always wanted to be treated.

"My familiar went wild and killed a human."

"But the Vatican made you an offer which you could redeem your and your mother's punishment with", said the blonde man. "Can you repeat the conditions?"

Of course I could. The memory was so vivid in my mind as if it had been burnt into my brain cells. I could almost see myself kneeling on the floor covered in blood beside Ariel's body and trying to wake her up, even though her neck was in an unnatural angle. Then, an hour later some Exorcists from the Vatican stepped in, directing me to the principal's office in the English branch of the Academy.

I closed my eyes so that my voice could stay impartial.

"The Vatican specified two conditions", I started. "The first was for me to leave the English branch of True Cross Academy. The second was to integrate into the community of the Japanese branch as a student and wheedle myself into the confidence of Satan's sons - and if I succeeded, killing them as soon as possible."

The members of the Grigori started whispering. Their leader flagged them down and turned to me.

"We became aware that even though you had countless chances, you didn't do what you had sworn to", he said. "And today you left the Japanese branch of True Cross Academy. Do you believe this accident fits into the borders of 'as soon as possible'?"

"I don't", I answered.

"So you broke your promise, right?"

"Yes."  
"Did you intend to do what you have sworn to?"

"Since I have known Yukio and Rin Okumura have been the targets, I didn't."

"Send her to prison!" someone yelled.

And suddenly, all hell broke loose. Everyone started shouting; not only the Grigori but the Exorcists who were present in the hall too. Most of them wanted to send me to jail, but there were some people who even wanted me to be executed.

"Silence!" the blonde man bellowed at his partners. The hall muted in a few seconds. "Aya Nakada is still a child, no matter how big of a sin she committed. And that is why she gets another chance from the Vatican."

I frowned. The blonde man nodded towards a guard who stood at one of the doors on the right, smirking. The guard opened the door. It was dark in there and I nearly couldn't see anything from above. Then, all at once, another guard appeared, dragging a tortured body. My eyes became round and watery as I recognized the fragile person who was as pale as a ghost.

"MUM!" I cried.

I wanted to jump off the platform, but the guard escorting mum, pushed his gun against her forehead. I didn't jump but I couldn't stay put. Mum lifted her head up and I could see as her once bright red lips were chapped and colourless and mouthed my name. Tears were streaming down mum's face; her eyes weren't as beautiful emerald green as they had been before she had been imprisoned because of me. They lost their light as her now waist-length red hair that was a bit lighter than mine did. She was very thin.

I noticed that another door was opened. I averted my glance from mum as her head fell onto her chest. Rin and Yukio were pushed into the hall through the other door. Both of them had handcuffs on their hands. Two Exorcists stood behind them. The boys fought against the handcuffs quietly as they wanted to be released. They were silenced by two kerchiefs.

Horrifying recognition crept up to my mind.

"You will get one last chance from us", said the blonde man in the middle of the commotion. "You execute the sons of Satan here and now and we shall release your mother and you."

I looked at mum again. She seemed to be unconscious. But at the same time, my friends stood on the other side who I swore to kill a while ago. I dropped a tear. So that was the expiation for being irresponsible and killing my best friend. This kind of punishment was fair with me, but it wasn't fair with the others.

"Give her the weapon", the blonde man instructed a person that I couldn't see.

The platform started sinking. I felt like a huge storm was raging in my mind. _How could I save all of them?_

The platform stopped and I stood in front of another Exorcist. He held a sword and reached it to me. I raised my shaking arm to take it away from him.

"Do not forget: if you are not able to do it, we shall kill all four of you", the leader of the Grigori warned me.

I looked at mum and then at Rin and Yukio. The Exorcist who gave me the sword pushed me off the platform. I almost fell to my knees. I walked up to the boys very slowly - that was what I was able to. The right lens of Yukio's glasses broke out of the frames. Tiny scratches could be seen on both of the boys. Rin was blinking at me frightened; though I was sure he wasn't afraid for his own life but his brother's. In contrast, Yukio's eyes suggested something more complex, something deeper. He frowned; his glance was incredulous, sad and disappointed at the same time.

Their attendants stepped away from behind them, but they kept their eyes on the boys from a respectable distance.

"I didn't want to lie to you", I told them quietly. Yukio turned his eyes towards the ceiling. "I didn't tell you I had to do this, because I didn't want to fulfil my mission."

'And yet you're still doing that now' - that was what Yukio's hateful expression suggested. He and Rin both felt betrayed. I could almost feel their thoughts on my skin. My whole being was a huge disappointment for them.

I clenched my teeth and raised the sword. The blue and teal eyes opened widely. They knew I was deadly serious. I stroke with a quick move.

A second later, weakly from the pain, I collapsed on the floor.


	14. Decision

The quiet peace was over in the hall.

It was difficult to wound me mortally anyway and I naturally couldn't manage to kill myself immediately. I knew it was still a much worse wound than any other I had ever got. But unfortunately I didn't have enough guts and strength to transfix my torso with the blade, so it sticked out from under my floating ribs. Bigger and bigger pool of blood spread under me and I breathed more and more quickly, causing a bit more pain for myself with every little move of my lungs.

I could barely blink and focus, but I could see Rin and Yukio's body covered with blue flames. Both of them bellowed as the handcuffs and kerchiefs fell off them. Exorcist rushed into the hall. Rin took the Kurikara away from one of the Exorcists who escorted them and attacked those who overran us. He didn't hurt anyone; he just beat off the strikes. Yukio had a gun in his hand but he didn't shoot either.

I coughed and Yukio turned around and looked at me frightened. He rushed to me and crouched beside me.

"Why did you have to do such foolishness?!" he spat at me. He tucked my hair behind my ear. "What the hell has gotten into you?!"

"Mum…" I mumbled almost soundlessly. "Save… mum."

"God damn it!" Yukio shouted.

He stood up and rushed away. My eyes wanted to close.

"Don't you dare falling asleep!" Rin yelled at me. "If you close your eyes, I swear to God I'll slap you!"

"Rin!" Yukio screamed. He dashed into my sight too with mum on his side. Mum was unconscious. "Take her to the basement! Wait for us there!"

Rin nodded and put mum's skinny arm around his neck and protected themselves from the Exorcists with the other hand of his. I didn't understand how the Exorcists couldn't catch neither him, nor Yukio. Even though I couldn't think properly, I suspected something distracted them, but I had no idea what it was.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you, but I need to lift you up now", said Yukio.

"No", I coughed. "No, leave me here."

"No way."

Yukio reached under my back cautiously and lifted me up. The cold blade of the sword moved in me, which made my stomach have spasms. I felt like if I hadn't suffocated from the shortness of breath, I would have drowned in the blood.

Yukio rushed through the hall with me in his arms as fast as he could. He ran across long, half-lighted corridors with me as if he had known where to go. He talked to me constantly: "Hold on, we're not far from there. The other Exwires will hold them back. You'll have a little rest. You'll be healed on the Academy. Everything's going to be all right."

"No… it's not", I moaned. "You need to understand… leave me here."

"You're delirious", said Yukio.

I started to get angry.

"Yukio, listen to me", I said with all of my strength. "Hear me out. I know… what I'm talking about. All four of us… can't live. Either you and Rin die… or mum or me. There's… no way out."

Yukio opened a door and we got into an even darker room. It was cold and damp, though I had been cold before we got there too. Yukio laid me down the floor. It hurt terribly.

"Don't talk like that." He stroked my hair.

"That's the truth", I gulped. "Get away… from here. I already made my decision."

"You had no right to do that!" Yukio spat at me.

"Yukio", Rin reprimanded him from somewhere in the distance.

"You had no right to make a decision like that!" Yukio went on. "I also had a say in it!"

I had an expression which couldn't be called as a smile. Yukio was still stubborn and he thought he wasn't a child anymore. He thought, he was the grown up one. But both of us were still kids.

I lifted up my heavy left hand and put it on his face. Yukio held my fingers and squeezed them. His hand was much warmer than mine.

"You can't leave me here", he said. "Why did you come at all if you want to leave me now?"

"I… hurt everyone… right?" I asked.

"No" Yukio shook his head. "The only thing that hurts is that you want to give up."

"For my friends… For you. And mum."

I turned my head slowly. Rin crouched beside my unconscious mother, but he didn't pay attention to her, just held her hand and looked at me.

"Aya, I love you."

I turned back my head and smiled again. Yukio's eyes shone with tears, but he didn't cry.

"Don't be stupid", I rattled. I needed to cough and started heaving. Yukio stared at me horrified. When the heaving died down, I said: "You can't love someone you… barely know."

"Leave me alone with your rational arguments now."

I felt the smile fading on my face and fatigue pushing my eyelids down.

"No, please, don't", begged Yukio. He leant over me and kissed my forehead a few times. "Stay awake."

I wanted to reply but I hardly had the strength. I could only afford my voice to say: "I love you too."

With my last breath I could still hear Yukio bellowing grievously. Then I went blind. I went mute. And I couldn't hear Him anymore.


	15. Epilogue - Hopeless

Yukio was enticed from the bedroom by the scent that floated in the air. The smell of fried eggs and fish woke him up. He was sure his brother was operating in the kitchen, because if he hadn't been, Yukio wouldn't have smelled the things that always reminded him to his family.

He floundered to the kitchen, running his fingers through his messy hair that was dishevelled during the night. He pulled up his pyjama pants too while being on his way.

Laughing could be heard from the kitchen of the dorm. Yukio frowned, and then he saw what was happening: Aya and Rin were cooking together with Ukobach.

"Good morning!" Aya shouted at Yukio as she spotted him.

"Good morning", he greeted back.

"Hey, bro", Rin grinned at him.

"What's this huge happiness so early in the morning?", asked Yukio a bit offended. It upset him that the girl he liked more than anyone and his own brother left him out of something.

"Early in the morning, my ass", Aya dabbed gaily. Yukio rested his glance for a few minutes on her ponytail, joyful smile and wrist that twirled the kitchen spoon gracefully. He enjoyed doing this without getting punished, since neither Aya, nor Rin paid attention to him. "You were just a sleepy-head again. It's nine-fifteen, dolt."

"I didn't know sleeping myself out was a crime", grumbled Yukio and then turned to his brother: "How come you're awake so early, Rin?"

"I'm gonna meet Shiemi at ten in Mephy Land", replied Rin with a grin on his face. He seemed to burst with joy.

Yukio determined surprised that the answer didn't make his stomach have spasms. A few months ago it would have hurt his feelings seriously, but he didn't care now. He smiled involuntarily at the pleasant thought.

"What are you grinning at?" Aya raised her eyebrows as she passed by him and put two plates of eggs down on one of the tables. While going back to the kitchen for the third portion, she pushed Yukio with her waist.

"I wasn't grinning", replied Yukio. He was pondering since when he had been able to admire such things as Aya's move as she brushed her hair out of her eyes or as she drummed on the counter with her fingers.

"As you say", she shrugged.

"We're done!" Rin shouted, putting the last spoon full of rice in a bowl. "We did it! Hells Angels is the best team in the world!"

"Amen!" Aya nodded.

They both raised their arms and high-fived.

"Hells Angels?" asked Yukio while all three of them sat down to the table. "Guys, you know it's the name of a worldwide motorcycle club that consists of criminals, right?"

"So what?" Rin shrugged.

"You should tell something that fits us more, then", retorted Aya, seating beside Yukio.

Yukio glanced at her; her grumpy frown and lips pushed together. She still appeared to be angelic, but her nature was like hell itself sometimes.

"I don't know anything better", he answered in the end.

Aya nodded and they set about the breakfast. No wonder Rin finished first. His feet were drumming under the table as if he had spasms in his legs. As soon as he swallowed the last bite, he jumped off the chair as if his backside had been equipped with springs. He took his plate to the kitchen, rushed to the door and stopped there. He turned back startled.

"Should I buy her flowers?" he asked, blinking at Aya and his brother.

"No", replied Aya.

"Yes", said Yukio at the same time.

Rin stared at them even more frightened.

"You don't have to", Aya shook her head. "Moriyama's got a garden full of flowers, she doesn't need any more weed. Moreover, where do you think she would put it while you guys sit on the rollercoaster and stuff? You should rather win her a cute plush, I'm sure she would love it."

Rin sighed with relief.

"Thanks. Bye."

"Good luck!" Aya waved at him.

She ate the rest of her breakfast and took her and Yukio's plate to the kitchen. Yukio watched her doing the washing up without saying anything. He was thinking about something.

"What's that? Why are you so silent?" asked Aya, not even turning around.

Yukio stood up and stepped into the kitchen. He took a kitchen towel and started wiping the clean dishes.

"Wouldn't you like some flowers if… someone wanted to meet you?" he asked a few moments later.

"You want to call me out?" she grinned at him.

Yukio blushed deeply as he wiped a glass.

"It was just a question", he mumbled.

"I wouldn't expect it", replied Aya to the former question. "Not on the first date. I'd feel like I owed him something. If he bought me something at the end of the date if we had a good time together, that's a different story. But it's important for me to start off as equals."

"Do you think Rin and Shiemi are a good match?" inquired Yukio, deliberately changing the topic.

"Yeah", said Aya. "Definitely. Are you jealous or something?"

"No", he shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just worried for Rin."

"You shouldn't be. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself. And if not, well, his heart will be broken, but he'll recover from it."

Aya washed the foam off her hands. Yukio watched the drops of water rolling down her fingers and some locks of her hair falling out of the ponytail. He took delight in looking at her as if that would be the last time he saw her. He couldn't think of anything but that he hadn't seen such an amazing being so far. His thoughts might not have been clear, he might not have judged Aya soberly, but all he could think of was that how beautiful she was.

His thoughts returned by Aya's snapping. Her fingers stopped in the air, in front of his eyes.

"Earth calling Four-Eyed", she grinned at him with her eyebrows raised. "Do you still copy me?"

"What?", mumbled Yukio.

"You've been staring at me about two minutes already", she crossed her arms. "You looked like you've been planning how to commit homicide on me."

"No… I haven't", he shook his head. He wasn't sure if he couldn't see clearly because he didn't have his glasses on or because Aya dazzled him. "I just…"

"You just?"

Yukio put down the kitchen towel and glass he was holding on the counter. He went half a step closer to Aya. He lifted up his hand and tucked the silky, red lock of her hair that fell before her eye behind her ear. Aya took Yukio's hand. Her hand was much colder than his, but the gesture still felt good for him. He had been afraid she would push him away or reject him, but she didn't.

Yukio leant to her and as if it had been the most natural thing in the world, he kissed her. Aya kissed back, her hair tickled Yukio's face gently.

Then he suddenly felt the air trembling around him. He and Aya looked at each other, moving away. Then, Aya's figure became more and more hazy.

"No!", Yukio shouted. "Don't go!"

Aya smiled at him sadly and vanished a moment later.

Yukio opened his eyes, waking up from the dream. The alarm clock was beeping peacefully on the desk. He dropped a tear. The dream that could never be fulfilled hurt him very much. All he wanted was to get her back. He wanted to take a walk with her in a park, he wanted to hold her hands while tossing coins into a wishing well, he wanted her face to be the first thing he would see in the morning and last he would see in the evening.

He wished Aya could still be with him, but that was impossible.


End file.
